🐘 July 6 2026

July 06, 2026

The Elephant News Service is provided by Save the Elephants for elephant lovers, scientists and conservationists who want to stay informed on the latest elephant news from reputable media sources worldwide. The stories are presented in no particular order.

50-Year-Old Female Elephant Found Dead In Tamil Nadu's Western Ghats

ETV Bharat (India), July 5, 2026

A female elephant believed to be 50 years old was found dead in the Kovilar dam area in Tamil Nadu's Virudhunagar district. It is understood that the jumbo's death came to light during a routine patrolling by the forest department officials in the S. Kodikulam Panchamthangi Division of the Vathirairuppu Forest Range in the Western Ghats. A strong stench led the patrolling team to the carcass of the elephant in the area. The elephant is estimated to be around 50 years old.

Wildlife officers seize elephant tusk, ivory ring and pendant; suspect arrested

Newswire (Sri Lanka), July 5, 2026

A suspect was arrested in Nittambuwa after wildlife officers seized a piece of an elephant tusk, an ivory ring, and an elephant-shaped ivory pendant during a raid. The raid was carried out by officers from the Horagolla National Park and the Western Regional Wildlife Office following a tip-off. The suspect, a resident of Kobeygane, was allegedly preparing to sell the items. Authorities have launched investigations to determine how he obtained the elephant tusk products. The suspect and the seized items are due to be produced before the Attanagalla Magistrate’s Court.

Dhurbe, the rogue elephant that followed a family for 14 years

Ramesh Kumar Paudel, Kathmandu Post (Nepal), July 5, 2026

On December 16, 2012, Shanichara Bote sat motionless at the Baruwa bazaar in Madi, alongside the lifeless bodies of his father Budhiram and mother Jharali. They had just been trampled to death by Dhurbe, a notorious wild male elephant that had begun terrorising the fringes of Chitwan National Park. In the wake of that tragedy, Shanichara uprooted his entire life to escape the persistent threat of wildlife encroachment. He crossed the Reu river, bypassed the core national park boundaries and moved across the Rapti river to settle down in Jagatpur.

11 elephants driven back to forest in Kadanur village

Times of India (India), July 4, 2026

The threat posed by wild elephants has intensified in Kadanur village of Virajpet taluk over the past two days, causing concern among residents. With the onset of the rainy season, elephants venturing out of the forest in search of food have been frequently spotted in coffee plantations and agricultural fields. Villagers noticed a herd of about 11 wild elephants camping in a field in Kadanur village and alerted the forest department.

As elephants venture to higher altitudes researchers track possibilities of conflict

Manish Chandra Mishra, Mongabay (U.S.), July 3, 2026

Elephants in Arunachal Pradesh may be present at higher elevations than previously thought. According to the new action plan on managing human-elephant conflict in the state, elephant tracks as well as a camera trap image of a juvenile elephant were observed at an altitude of 3,266 metres in the state’s Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, possibly the highest recorded presence of Asian elephants in the world. The highest known record of an elephant (African elephant) is at around 4,000 metres, on Mount Kenya.